CMS will issue new guidance on payer-to-payer data exchange provisions for its May 2020 interoperability rule, but won't enforce it until finalized rules are issued, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Maryland, Michigan, and Rhode Island. 

• Maryland: CMS on Sept. 15 announced that it will issue new guidance for the payer-to-payer data exchange provision outlined in the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access policies. The initial rule failed to specify data formats for information sharing, which complicated the process for payers. As a result, CMS will start enforcing the rules after they have been finalized rather than the original Jan. 1, 2022, deadline. (Moran, Becker's Hospital Review, 9/17)

• Michigan: Detroit Medical Center (DMC) on Thursday announced that Audrey Gregory is stepping down as CEO, effective Oct. 22, after joining the organization in October 2019.  According to FlagerLive, Gregory will join AdventHealth's Central Florida Division, North Region as president and CEO.  Brittany Lavis, CFO of DMC, will replace Gregory as CEO on an interim basis.  (Pinho, Modern Healthcare, 9/17; FlagerLive, 9/20)

• Rhode Island: In the midst of a staffing shortage, CVS announced plans to add 25,000 employees this week in a single-day hiring spree in preparation for a surge in demand for Covid-19 tests, booster shots, and flu vaccines. CVS will also offer $1,000 "certification awards" paid out over six months to pharmacy technicians certified to administer both flu and Covid-19 vaccines, alongside $1,250 bonuses for full-time pharmacists and $1,000 bonuses for part-time pharmacists. (Terlep, Wall Street Journal, 9/20)